Weekends are the time for Balladeer’s Blog’s escapist forays into superheroes, who seem to be everywhere these days. This time around it will be a multi-week look at Iron Man and one of his most memorable story runs from the 1970s.
IRON MAN Vol 1 #52 (November 1972)
Title: Raga, Son of Fire
Villains: The Black Lama and Raga, Son of Fire
NOTE: This is still the decades-long period of time when Tony Stark covered up his identity as Iron Man by pretending publicly that the armored superhero was really his high-tech bodyguard. That explanation allayed suspicion about why Iron Man so often showed up wherever Tony Stark was at the time.
Synopsis: This issue starts off with Tony Stark in his Iron Man armor using his high-tech training room at Stark Industries Headquarters on Long Island. Our hero uses this hidden area as a testing ground for every upgrade he adds to his armor.
This afternoon all of the destructive devices and traps are overcome by Iron Man’s latest improvements. The test session over with, Tony Stark catches a flight to California. With his engagement to long-time girlfriend Marianne Rodgers called off recently our hero is off on a vacation.
He starts partying with other members of the Jet Set in the on-board lounge during his flight westward. With Tony once again available – and with his secret heart transplant working perfectly – he returns to his old playboy ways. The women on board vie with each other for Stark’s attention, smitten with his looks, brains and immense wealth. Continue reading
FIRST SEMIFINAL – The 4th seeded NORTH LAKE COLLEGE BLAZERS ended the Cinderella run of the 8 seeds – the ROCK VALLEY COLLEGE GOLDEN EAGLES. 
Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog couldn’t help but note what is basically an admission on the part of the Biden Regime that they are unfit and not legit. An admission that they are criminals in the pocket of many overseas entities including the Chinese government. That virtual admission? 
The installed Joe Biden runs a corporate fascist state and virtual kleptocracy. He could not have achieved that without a complicit Democrat Party apparatus including 
THE BANQUETERS – By Aristophanes. This was the very first comedy from the Athenian whose name is synonymous with ancient Greek comedies, especially political satires. The nineteen-year-old presented a landowner from Athens whose two sons were being introduced to his phratry brothers at a banquet dedicated to Herakles. 
THE ADVENTURES OF A MICRO-MAN (1902) – This work of vintage or “ancient” science fiction was authored by Lancelot Bayly under the pen name Edwin Pallender. The central character of the story was Doctor Geoffrey Hassler, a wealthy eccentric scientist who has discovered “microgen” a gas which shrinks objects down to a very small size. 
Dr Hassler’s demonstrations of the procedure in a diving-bell shaped chamber convinces even the skeptics and he rakes in even more money plus scientific recognition. One day when he, his daughter Muriel, her fiancee Gerald and a family friend named Reverend Eden are all inside the chamber a fluke accident causes them all to be shrunk down to a fraction of an inch. 
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – Fighting it out for the 2022 title in the NAIA were the LOYOLA UNIVERSITY (LA) WOLFPACK and the TALLADEGA COLLEGE TORNADOES. 
SOUTH CENTRAL DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – In this game the 2 seeds – the EASTFIELD COLLEGE HARVESTERS – faced the top seeded NORTH LAKE COLLEGE BLAZERS. 
Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog takes another look at America’s desperate need for viable alternate political parties. 
Superheroes continue to dominate pop culture right now, and as I’ve often said, I think hero tales work best when set in their original time period. 
HERO FOR HIRE Vol 1 #1 (June 1972) 
Using those powers, Lucas escaped Seagate Prison but misled the authorities into thinking he died in the ocean while trying to get away. With Carl Lucas pronounced dead, our main character settled in New York City under the name Luke Cage and became a literal Hero for Hire, using his superpowers to earn a living. 
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The 4 seeds – the BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE PATRIOTS – took on the 2nd seeded LANCASTER BIBLE COLLEGE CHARGERS in this title game. 
FIRST SEMIFINAL – This game pitted the TALLADEGA COLLEGE TORNADOES against the THOMAS MORE UNIVERSITY SAINTS. 
